Blotchy red rash/irritated skin on penile head (lasted for over 3 moths now)?

Posted , 410 users are following.

Part of the skin on the head of my penis has become slightly red and is causing some pain/irritation.

It first appeared the day after I used a condom so I think I must have had a reaction to the latex or some other substance in the condom.

The tip of the penis became super sensitive and noticeably hurt whenever it touched my underwear.

The skin was and still is noticeably red close to and directly around the meatus. This redness gets worse and bigger after I've come out the shower or masturbated.

An hour or so after ejaculation, I get a slight burn/irritation at the very end of the urethra when I urinate and this can last for a few days before subsiding. This has put me off from masturbating as much now.

This has lasted for about 3 months now with no signs of improvement.

I saw a doctor and was prescribed timodine/hydrocortisone cream and this didn't have much effect and am slightly worried it may just make things worse so have stopped using it for now.

It almost seems as if the redness comes from within the skin rather than on the surface.

I don't think its balanitis as I haven't had that for over 12 years when I was a kid and that was with the usual smegma discharge etc, whereas this is just redness. 

I've attached images to show how it looks straight after showering, which is when the redness is at its worst and the contrast between the normal skin colour and the redness can be clearly seen.

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  • Posted

    Hi, very similiar symptoms to these described and photos. Went to urgent care, gave me a one time shot of something, prescribed Azithromycin 250mg, and sent blood work for std testing which included herpes panel. No std's. The doctor said apply warm compresses twice a day and keep it clean/dry. I apply a warm wash cloth, cover with a heating pad on med/high setting, lie down and watch tv for maybe 30 minutes. After 1 month my ongoing symptoms are now very much in control, rather than ugly redness 7x24 a reoccurrence is limited to post sex and not as unsightly. Hope this helps and good luck to everyone, thanks for the info and support provided by everyone.

  • Posted

    so after an hour of reading i feel im in this boat. I Dont know what could have caused it other than tight (tighter than i should have) boxers and not being great on cleaning it, I also sleep on my stomach. I Live where its extremely hot and i noticed this months ago. i have used the manicupin cream, even some womens yeast infection cream and it comes back. I Dont think its contagious unless the person i had sex with jus isnt telling me. Does anyone else have pain in their testicle? Like it feels bruised and maybe a sharp pain here and there? Doctors insisted it was an STD/STI however 3 tests turned out clean. I was diagnosed with HSV 2 however that was only through a blood test no outbreaks And I have my doubts on the accuracy of the test tho. I Have no pain urinating and there is no pain during sex, jus soreness in my testicle and redness that is worst after masterbating. I believe i have had HSV 2 Longer than I even know But this irritation has started 3 months ago and that isnt consistent with HSV2 symptoms as HSV2 lies dormant. My question i guess is....Does anyone else have pain in their testicle?

  • Posted

    After research and constant reading i have come to the conclusion its Epydimitis (spell). I read constant sex and masterbating can damage the cells and with the infection give the same pain symptoms which now are souly in my scrotum. GOOD NEWS! HSV 2 May be curable soon. New test of DNA editing CRISP is reported to now being tried on humans. Their studies on mice has shown 90% removal rate of the virus. Thank god for technology. SO To those in my boat help is possibly around the corner.

  • Posted

    I've been dealing with a similar issue, except redness more toward bottom of glans and around urethra.

    Tried Canesten / Clotrimazole for a few weeks with no luck.

    Tried 2 weeks Doxycycline (100mg) along with 2% Daktarin cream, still no change.

    Dr now has me on Canesten HC 1% for two weeks.

    I've been tested for Chlamydia/Ghonorhea they came back negative.

    General Full Blood Count indicates no sign of infection.

    I've removed soap from down there and focus on keeping the area clean/dry.

    What the heck is this?! If anyone's had any luck outside of the standard Balanitis/fungal infection treatment please let me know.

    Condition is about 100 times worst after masturbating, dies down if i abstain but never to the point it's all clear.

    Thanks all.

    • Posted

      i am going to try another cycle of antibiotics then i may ask for antivirals...You said you were tested for Hv1 and 2?

    • Posted

      Hi mate,

      I've not been tested for these, no. I do occasionally suffer with cold sores around the mouth so i imagine HV1 is present?

      As for HV2 very unlikely, I've only ever had one sexual partner.

      When I visited the sexual health clinic I was told that given it wasn't presenting as a normal STD i.e. no discharge and so on, there was no need to test.

      They just did a urine test to check for Chlamydia/Ghonorhea.

    • Posted

      well that is comforting actually because we have the exact same symptoms so thank you for your honesty...I am going to try to seek Antibiotics In cases Epididymitis it causes Balantis...However people have been know to be on ANntibiotica for 4-6 weeks and dont take them properly...Chronic Ep means you may need biotics for over 4 weeks compared to the thoughts of only 2 weeks

    • Posted

      I took my course almost religiously the two weeks I was prescribed.

      Perhaps it wasn't enough. I'm also aware that doxy actually only inhibits the growth of the bacteria, it doesn't necessarily kill the existing (guessing that's down to your bodies own immune system?). But I'm allergic to penicillin and don't tolerate erythromycin well either so there wasn't much choice.

    • Posted

      that is very interesting....Because i took Doxy...And for the week i was taking it i was better but now it seems that it has came back but worst.

    • Posted

      Same boat here. Unfortunately, I think I've ruled out every possible thing over the past 5 months except for HPV or HSV. I'm really starting to suspect it is HSV2 even though I would consider myself to also be really really low risk for it. Just s**t luck perhaps. I'm going to get tested this week and I'll report back. I almost want that to be what's wrong just to get a diagnosis for once.

    • Posted

      I should say that in the beginning of my saga, doctors wouldn't test me for HSV2 because they didn't see anything that looked like herpes. Well, things have progressed. The glans is more red and textured so I think they'll give me the test this time.

    • Posted

      Hey mate,

      Hopefully you can get tested for it, even if it puts your mind that little more at ease. I completely understand what you're saying though, just want a diagnosis to actually know you're treating whatever it is effectively.

      To be honest, I just want a biopsy done now for piece of mind more than anything. If i can rule out something threatening I know I'll be less worried which can only help my bodies immune system fight it off.

      Let me know how you get on with the doctors.

    • Posted

      Please give results when/if you get tested and biopsied. 😃

    • Posted

      if it outs you at ease i dont think its HSV People i have spoken with say outside of bumps and outbreaks there really isnt a "lingering" complication, so i hope that puts your mind at ease please let us know your results

    • Posted

      HSV tests came back negative which is a relief but now I'm still stuck trying to figure this out. Thanks for the reply.

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